Free Mail Order Melody by Kirsten Osbourne

said."
    She walked to another part of the kitchen and turned to face him. "You can apologize until you're blue in the face. You had no right to say those things to me, and I won't put up with it ever again." She turned her back on him and continued fixing supper.
    He slammed out the door to go and milk the cows, angry that she was being so stubborn. He'd apologized for his temper. What more did she want from him?
    When the door slammed behind Calvin, Eliza sank into a chair and wept, burying her face in her hands. She loved him, and he didn't trust her. What kind of woman fell in love with a man who didn't trust her?
    She refused to talk to him as they ate, even refusing to let her eyes meet his. He could see that she'd been crying, and he wanted to make it up to her, but he just didn't know how. What could he do to make her realize that he knew he'd been an idiot?
    After doing the dishes, Eliza went straight up to bed going to the room she'd moved her things into that afternoon. She was already in bed when she heard him stomping up the stairs. It took less than a minute for the door to the room she was sleeping in to be flung open and slammed against the wall.
    "What are you doing in here? Hiding from me?"
    Eliza propped herself up on one elbow and glared at him. "What difference does it make to you? You don't even trust me. This is my room now. Go to bed, Calvin."
    Calvin stood there glaring at her, his chest heaving for a long moment, before he left, closing the door behind him. He moved into his solitary bedroom and stared down at the bed they'd shared. How was he going to sleep there without her beside him? What had he done?

Chapter Six
     
    Several days later they were still barely talking to one another. Eliza slept in the spare room every night, and Calvin was so angry with her for leaving his bedroom that he didn't try again to make amends.
    "I need to go to town today. Is there anything you need me to pick up for you?" he asked. Even if she was actively ignoring him, he wasn't about to be rude to her. He'd been raised better than that.
    "I have several things I need, but I'd like to ride along and pick them out for myself. One of the things I need is fabric, and you know that you're not the best at picking out fabric for me." She didn't meet his eyes as she said the words, simply spoke in a soft voice and took another bite of her eggs. The morning sickness had finally passed and she was able to eat her breakfast again. He'd been thrilled to see her eating three meals a day again and said nothing else about her attempt to lose weight.
    "Fine. Be ready around ten." He left the house and went to the bam, saying nothing else to her.
    While he was gone, she sat down and wrote out a list of things that she needed from the store. They needed more flour and sugar as well as other staples, and she wanted to get more fabric so she could make a quilt for the baby. She'd already made one for Abigail, and now it was time she made one for her own child. Keeping her hands busy kept her heart from hurting over her husband's accusations.
    They were silent the whole way into town. She realized that Calvin had stopped singing since they'd had their fight, and she hated that his happiness was gone. She didn't hate that he'd stopped singing, of course, but she hated that he didn't feel the urge to sing because he was so unhappy.
    When they reached town, the mercantile owner smiled at Eliza. "I have a letter for you."
    Eliza smiled and took the letter from him. Only Beulah knew she was there so she knew the letter must be from her sister. She walked back to the corner of the store to read it and immediately started shaking.
    She was a great deal more emotional now than she had been when she got the first letter threatening her sister. This one was short and to the point.
     
    "Stop singing, even in church, if you want your sister and nephews to stay alive. We're watching you."
     
    The tears sprang to her eyes immediately, and she shook,